DENVER - Idaho's Liga Velvere and Kristine Leonard were named the Western Athletic Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively, for the week of Feb. 11-17.
Velvere, a senior from Saldus, Latvia (Latvian Academy of Sport), posted a season-best time in the 800m at the Idaho Collegiate. She finished in first with a WAC-leading and season-best time of 2:07.83 on Friday at the Idaho Collegiate. The time ranks 41st in the NCAA so far this season and is the second-fastest of her career. It's the fastest in the WAC this season by nearly two seconds.
Leonard, a senior from Rathdrum, Idaho (Concordia University), won twice and posted five top-three finishes over the weekend at the Idaho Collegiate and Idaho Open II on Friday and Saturday. On Friday at the Idaho Collegiate, she hit a career-best 57-7.75 (17.57m) and finished second in the weight throw and won the indoor discus throw with a mark of 156-7 (47.72m). She also took third in the women's shot put with a mark of 45-7.25 (13.90m). Her weight throw mark is fourth-best in the WAC so far this season. On Saturday at the Idaho Open II, Leonard won the weight throw with a mark of 56-9.5 (17.31m) and took second in the shot put with a toss of 46-0.5 (14.03m). Leonard is one of two WAC women to rank in the top five in the conference in both the shot put and the weight throw this season (Kelsey Titzman, TXST).